No Silliness Today

I had a silly post scheduled for today.  My regular type of dopy first world lament.  I like to talk about nonsense because it is fun and light.  There are so many heartaches and trials in the world- I like the superficial and silly distractions...  

But today I just can't post something silly.  As I am writing this, it's actually early Monday night and the news is on.  The story is the mile-plus wide tornado devastation in Oklahoma.  The wide swath of homes and buildings and town gone.  A school destroyed.  Too many children presumed dead.  The reporter sadly and wistfully hoping aloud that what they are reporting will prove to be wrong when they have more facts.  But the pictures... The pictures make you wonder how anyone could survive...  What the numbers will be...

So, while silliness might be needed, I just can't bring myself to post anything daft today.  I know there are individual sad stories every day.  People lose the ones they love.  Accidents, illness, sudden tragedies or drawn out tragedies. Sometimes, we are the ones suffering.  At other times, we are helplessly watching others in our lives suffer.  

I guess what is striking me today is that usually we are there to help each other out.  Lend an ear.  Drop off food. Help with the kids. Translate medical jargon. Or just be on call.  During my hard times, I was blessed with a wonderful husband AND family AND a family of friends AND neighbors.  An embarrassment of riches.  I knew I had people to lean on if I needed.

I can't imagine how it would be for so many people in a concentrated area to be personally destroyed.  I cannot imagine the breadth of grief if my town AND my friends AND I was so horrifically devastated. Would we be able give any help to each other?  Would it help to have someone who understands? Would it all be too much to bear?  Even the slightest imagining of the horror they must bear is too terrifying for me.  To live the reality? But for the grace of God...

Today, I can't post silly.  I am praying for those who are grieving in Oklahoma.  For communities devastated by nature-caused and man-made tragedies.  For grief that will be borne but never recovered from...


And,
for those struck by tragedy everywhere.  I hope they are blessed by a network of people and love...


And,
selfishly, today I am grateful.  Grateful that I am blessed enough by chance to live here.  Not there. And that, right now, at this moment, all is okay in my world.  Today I am going to thank God (or the fates or chance or whatever you want to call it) every moment of the day.  I am ALWAYS grateful for what I have in every moment.  Watching my parents leave this world before I was ready taught me that it all goes too fast.  And that we have to appreciate what we have.  To count our blessings. Today, I am EXTRA, EXTRA grateful...